


Palladio

by EaRayos



Series: Adventures with violin in hand [1]
Category: Rogue One: A Star Wars Story (2016), Star Wars - All Media Types
Genre: Alternate Universe - Modern Setting, Alternate Universe - Music, Alternate Universe - Orchestra, F/M, M/M, Slow Burn
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2017-03-26
Updated: 2017-03-26
Packaged: 2018-10-10 20:59:09
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 4,730
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/10447380
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/EaRayos/pseuds/EaRayos
Summary: Jyn was running late. That much she was sure. But she didn’t give a fuck about being late.But she passed the scrutiny of the professor, and the possible audition all to get into the music college in the fences. Saw had been trying to get her in that school and she had already lost interest to the place, until he said it was time.---Jyn enters a music college against her wishes and decides she better make the best of it if she's in it.





	

Jyn was running late. That much she was sure. But she didn’t give a fuck about being late.  

 

But she passed the scrutiny of the professors, and what was the possible audition all to get into the music college in the fences. Saw had been trying to get her in that school and she had already lost interest to the place, until he said it was time. She asked how he had managed to get her in, but he just claimed he pulled a few favors. Now, after he dropped her off in the entrance, her instrument in hand, she was running late, to the chords ensemble she was apparently part of now. Fuming, she entered the double green metal doors, following the sketchy instructions her professor she had met before once had told her. She could hear music everywhere, from clarinets to bass players, practicing whatever they were practicing, but Jyn Erso just wanted to get her day done. 

 

She walked through a pale hallway, that had air condition on, past other green metal doors, these ones were single and what the danish woman thought were classrooms, and reached another set of double doors, these ones much better looking. Opening one of them, she was met with the presence of a full chords class, something she was not looking forward. Her first music theory: groups and ensembles only stall and make people dumber than they are. 

 

She walked up towards the professor, a tall man with long black graying hair, and stood besides him before clearing her throat, thanking the class hadn’t started yet. 

 

“Professor Malbus.” she spoke with hooded eyes and closed lips look that people took as menacing. She was going for professional ‘I take no shit’ one, even if this was the second time meeting him.

“Miss Erso.” he grunted with the same style as her. “Your seat is with the second violins over there. Second stand first seat. Here’s today’s music in the order we’ll be practicing. Now go.” she was liking him now. 

 

She did as directed, walked between the seats and music stands until reaching her designated chair, bumping slightly with some of the chairs and placed the music in her stand. She began taking out her violin hesitantly. Still with a straight “resting bitch” face, she cursed silently at her trembling hands from the place. Shoulder rest under her wooden instrument, adjusted the bow after applying rosin, and waited. Jyn had noticed the two men in front of her staring at her. One had a smile that made her be insecure of him. 

 

“Hey. My name’s Cassian. This is Kay.” he spoke in a latino accent.

Jyn nodded. She didn’t want to make friends.

“What’s your name?”

She paused for a few seconds, debating if to give her name or not, “Liana Hallik.” she lied.

“Oh, nice to meet you Liana.” Cassian flashed a new smile and she cringed. 

 

Any further conversation was interrupted with Professor Malbus’ call for attention, in which all the students quickly paid attention to the man. He raised his right hand, after ordering for the piece to be taken out, as if he had a maestro’s baton, and everybody took their instruments to play. Jyn raised her violin to her shoulder and rested her left cheek and chin to hold it steady, and waiting for Malbus’ direction, they all stilled. Soon, the burly man lowered his hand and they all began playing, reading the piece called Palladio by Karl Jenkins. It started with allegretto, which is a movement to be played fairly briskly, and it had a solo part, with a coda which gave a different ending, and it had to be divided with another violin for the double notes in the piece. She guessed the two players by stands were for that, and she took the top part of the doubles since she had no one to accompany her. It was three pages long, which she had spread them trying to make it evenly, and in the silent seconds she moved the papers to make it an easier read. The music started with the violoncello’s solo, to later accompany it the violas and violins. About a minute in, the first violin’s started with their solos, and even if she was in the accompaniment of the music, she secretly admired the first violin’s part, surprised at how beautiful it sounded. The two soloist in the first stand of the first violins (concertino being the one in the right) showed they were skilled in their playing, probably by years of practice. 

 

The piece finally ended, and Jyn was containing her shaking hands that had may or may not butchered her playing. She kept her unamused face, staring at the professor that was slightly frowning, making her frown a bit, bracing herself for whatever he had to say. All the students had a small smile and that made her slightly nervous too. Clearing his throat. The asian looking man just looked at everybody before speaking. 

 

“It was good. Less than good but still good.” students began to groan as the danish woman stiffened at their reactions. “Oh, come on. Sure it was the first time seeing this piece but that is no excuse to fail miserably. Let’s do it one more time and I’ll take each group separately.” 

 

Jyn was still trying to process how what they all played was a miserable when to her point of view everybody played beautifully. 

 

Once again, Professor Malbus raised his hands and everybody prepared, and once again they all played. Fingers pressed to chords, bows rubbing against the metal strings, rosin scratching, making the melodies and notes that were either on E or A. The solos played, and professor malbus walked between the cello’s stands, instructing  on what needed to be corrected or perfected. He soon went to the first violinist section, once again explaining how things were done, and before he could come to the second violins, he checked the clock and class was done. With a sigh, he ordered the students to leave, not before telling her section to be prepared for their class next time since he was starting with them. Jyn just stared, and walked away, not caring if someone called her or tried to introduce themselves. 

  
  


Jyn reached her apartment, the one she shared with her care taker Saw Guerrera, and placed her violin in a corner, throwing herself into her bed. The danish woman wanted to relax, but this was something she knew she wasn’t going to be able to achieve since soon enough, the dark skinned man came to their house and was already calling for her. Groaning, she got up and walked to the kitchen, seeing the older man who took a spaghetti can and emptied it in two plates before inserting it in the microwave. After both plates were heated, he went to the counter, standing in front of the young adult who sat in the barstool and slided her a plate so they could have dinner together.

  
  


“So? Tell me how it went.” 

“What do you want to know?” she sighed. 

“Who was the chords orchestra’s professor? Are you making friends? Are you liking it?” he tried grinning but it only make him have an awkward face. Saw Guerrera always tried to be a father figure for her. 

“Well, It’s Malbus again. He kind of ordered me to be part of it since the first day I went there…”

  
  


It was true. The day of the audition, which was with Professor Malbus, and two other professors whom she didn’t care about who they were, had been the ones to decide if she should be part of that college. Only two professors gave the go and one just looked away, claiming she was nowhere near to the greatness of her late father, Galen Erso nor her mother Lyra. It pissed her off to be compared to her parents whom she hadn’t seen since she was a wee lass, and so before she could retort, Malbus and the other one, who was blind, had “coerced” the man in white cape and over dramatic flair that the three of them would “shape” her to be like the prodigious violinist she was meant to be. A quick meet up and set up of classes, her taking violin classes with Malbus, and music theory with the caped man, she was going to have a semester of classes before she passed to the orchestra that was being formed by the blind man. But for that she needed to be in the chords orchestra from Professor Malbus so she could be “prepared”.

  
  


“That’s nice. So did you meet people there?” 

“Aside from the professor. Two classmates presented themselves but I forgot their names. They have the first stand in the seconds violin. I got the second stand.”

Saw frowned. “Jyn. You should make an effort to make friends. They will help you out if you ever need help…”

“I have survived long enough playing on my own. I don’t need anybody helping me.” she retorted. 

He sighed. “Fine. What are you guys going to be playing?”

“We started with Palladio’s first movement.” 

Her caretaker nodded. He had been the pianist that played with her mother when she had concerts. “That’s a good one. Baze knows what he’s doing.” 

“Yeah, well. He’s a pain. But a nice kind of pain.”

“At least you get along with the professor then…” 

 

They finished eating in silence, to finally retire to their own quarters. Saw was a tall man that had taken the godfather role after her parent’s death. He took her under his wing and began home schooling her and taking her to private violin and piano lessons. When it was time for college, he had first insisted she entered the Yavin IV college, even when she had decided to go for languages. Despite his initial battle, he let her enter the Jedha college for languages but still filled her application to Yavin. Accepted in both universities, she was going through two colleges at the same time. Jedha had an online languages classes, so to survive, she took her language classes four days a week and assisted Yavin two days a week. She still resented her caretaker his decision but she still followed through, not wanting to leave her parent’s legacy behind. 

 

…

 

It was the next day for her to go to the music college, and she passed to Malbus’ class and later to the theory class with hateful professor Krennic, who was always giving her a pain (he was supposedly best friends with her father, but he sure had a way of showing it), and finally she went to the ensemble. She took her seat and prepared her instrument, when someone occupied the seat next to her. She was already prepared for whatever shit she was going to have to deal (giving or receiving) until she saw who her partner was. A skinny man that clearly seemed to be in a mood of preferring to not be spoken to either. 

 

“Hey.” she called out. “Name’s Liana” ‘better stick with the lie if i’m going to continue with them’. “You?” she stretched her hand. 

He looked at her, later her hand, and back to her eyes. He had a slight frown, as if debating if he knew her or not. “Rook. Bodhi Rook.” he answered, and went back to preparing his own violin. 

She frowned. “First day on the group?” she asked, now wondering who he was aside from his name.

He shook his head. 

“You didn’t come last time.”

He shook his head again. 

“Do you know what we’re playing tho?” she frowned. 

He nodded. 

A slight chuckle rang in front of her. “Bodhi’s like that. He doesn’t like talking much.” 

She tried hard not to glare at the latino man that sat in first chair of first stand. 

“And you should take the message she’s the same, Cassian.” the pale tall man that sat besides him spoke. 

 

Professor Malbus came in, and began handing out today’s piece to the new students. Jyn received hers. She gasped and slightly groaned, as she kept watching all the 5 pages of the music piece, and heard a snickered in the stand before her. She glared quickly, making Cassian and Kay look away. Struggling to keep the papers in place, a sudden invisible tape roll appeared in her stand. She looked up, to meet brown eyes and brown hair stylized in buns of a woman. 

 

“Here, Malbus loves his long pieces so we usually carry tape.” she showed her piece to give an example, “This is how we manage. Put the tape behind the papers, joining them. Kind of like making a book or long scroll. Helps out when passing out the papers and the order.” 

The danish woman did as she was shown, and tried not to grin at the new innovation that was teached. 

“Name’s Leia. The concertino is my twin brother Luke. If you need help with anything, we’re available. ‘Course, you’ll have to try and keep up with us.” she smirked and took her seat. 

Cassian scoffed. “As if you’re the best, Leia.”

“Well, if I weren’t the best, I wouldn’t be first violin and first stand, but here I am. I’m still wondering why Luke was made concertino.”

The man presented as Luke sighed from his chair who was tuning his violin. “Sis, it’s Baze and Chirrut’s doing so chill. Plus, it’s a fact the ones in this chords orchestra were hand picked as the best.”

 

‘ _ Hand picked as the best…’  _ this stuck to Jyn and she decided to just study the new piece and ignore their bickering. Bodhi was doing the same, having ignored the exchange and took out his own piece, placing it in the stand, with all the small minor detail fixes and arrangements the professor had apparently done. She quickly took her copy and with a pencil, she annotated those notes into hers, asking him for palladio’s one so she could do the same. He nodded, and handed his papers, which she tooked quickly and repeated the process. She didn’t finish, when the professor called attention and they started playing the Brandenburg Concerto No. 3 by Bach. This piece was harder, and she took turns with Bodhi to change the music around when the papers needed to be changed at. In a small break they had, in which Baze took the first violinist, to make arrangements, she continued copying and finished, thanking the palestinian man for it. And to her frazzingling, he just nodded and kept waiting for orders, by practicing in  _ pizzicato  _ (a form of playing with fingers without bow in hand) the next parts. She frowned a bit, only to fully glare when she noticed the two classmates in the front seats smirking. She did as Bodhi, but without placing her violin in shoulder, holding it as a guitar. She found it was easier to do so for her. 

 

Baze took the second violinist, and began ordering around how to do play. The four students played the part the professor had “asked” to play, and they did. To Jyn’s view, she thought they played good. But to Malbus’ view…

 

“Slightly better than Palladio. But still needs a bit of fixing. I need fingering to be quicker, and bows to be more allegro.” he walked past them and towards the violists. 

“Don’t let him get to you. That’s how he cares.” Kay the pale british man spoke.

“Care my ass.” Jyn scoffed. 

 

Soon, the class ended, it was another final day for the danish woman to walk away and head over to her apartment and start the routine that became to be. Each tuesday and thursday it was to the college, monday, wednesday, friday and saturday it was languages courses and so on so forth. Sometimes she would come earlier to the college and observe the other students and how they would run just smile and feel like  _ home _ , something she hadn’t seen in a long time. Each day she went, Saw would question her and ask her about the people she met, and she would answer the same, just about how they were all always happy and enjoying life. He would answer to that, that they were all doing what they loved, to which she would scoff and drop the subject, eating whatever junk food Saw decided to produce. 

 

It was around the third month, she had reached the classroom minutes earlier than the practice had to be. Cassian had come over and began trying to make small talk, but she mostly ignored him. Soon, people came over, and made a small group around. Finding it perfect to get away, she slowly moved to the exit and escape for a while, until she softly pushed the british man, who was looking down at her. 

 

“You should watch where you walk, Hallik.”

Jyn glared. Not wanting to start a fight. “Shut up.” she muttered.

He scoffed. “Suzuki beginner”. 

“Oh and what is that supposed to mean?” the small figure tried to be imposing against the tall man.

“It means you don’t belong with us. The advanced.” 

 

The two kept glaring at each other, until Cassian came over and pulled him softly, after noticing the professor come over. Kay silently moved to his seat and they all went to their positions, today being the day they were going to start playing as if it was the concert already, to start with Brandenburg, pass over to Concerto Opus 4 number 1 from Vivaldi and finalizing with Palladio. It was three pieces, and they had to seriously work for this. Huffing, she sat down besides Bodhi, and prepared her violin and bow with rosin. While she kept on glaring at the blond hair that sat in the row in front of her, the danish woman barely heard the person talking to her. 

 

“Scuse me. What are we starting today?” 

 

Her first instinct was to glare at Cassian, since he had turned around. But noticing his gaze, she saw it wasn’t him who talked. Following his sight, she found Bodhi, who she had given up talking to since that first encounter. She blinked softly before speaking. 

 

“Sorry. Did you ask me something?”

He nodded. “Sorry. Wasn’t here when professor spoke. What are we starting today?” 

She still couldn’t process the man speaking to her. “We’re going to start with the concert order. Brandenburg, Concerto, and Palladio.” she answered softly.

The palestinian man nodded, his long hair taking to move before he pulled it in a ponytail. “Thank you.”

“Anytime…” she finished, and she looked to the front, finding a smiling Cassian, as if approving of her all because Bodhi decided to speak with her. 

 

Baze Malbus called for attention, and all of them looked to forward to him. The three pieces were played in the exact row without stopping, to get a taste of how it will go. Jyn had taken it up as a challenge to give it her all, as a challenge from Kay to better herself and prove her position. In the end, she managed to do literally her very best and with a sense of pride, she noticed the professor give a small smile, but as soon as it appeared it left, and he addressed the class as having done a better job than usual, and so he continued to practice all the pieces from start to bottom. The practices came and went, and soon it was…

 

Concert Day.

  
  


The whole chords orchestra was together in the small hallway behind the stage of the college’s amphitheatre. Some of the students were nervous, and others were practicing and others had play offs like the bassist battling against a guitarist on who played the best. Jyn dressed in a short black dress walked around in flats to find Bodhi smiling at her and asking for reviewing a few of the passages of Brandenburg. The danish woman noticed how much he had changed over the few days before the concert, the man having opted for actually trusting her by counting that the both of them covered each other in the small parts they didn’t know how to do well. Even Leia had become a close acquaintance to Jyn by dissing the boys as Luke would sometimes show off being the concertino. Luke was nice to her too, who even though had an air of a bit of arrogance, he was still a humble classmate, that more than often she caught him staring at her music stand partner. After having mastered the few notes they wanted to dominate, she decided to walk around and ignore her shaking hands. As she rounded a corner, she heard a familiar violin playing, and in a dark corner with only a small flashlight illuminating the stand, she found Cassian playing a piece she didn’t recognize, but still loved. Softly, she got closer, to see which piece it was but he stopped, noticing her. 

 

“Ah, Liana. What’s up?”

“Which piece is that one?”

“This one?” he gestured with his nose. She nodded. “Paganini’s Cantabile. You gotta admit his pieces always are attractive.” he smiled, still looking at the piece. 

“I’m more of a Vivaldi person.” she chuckled, still jittery with the sudden concert. “But yeah. The devil's violinist always has an attractive charm.” 

“Ravel’s more my type. And Sarasate.” He looked at her, and she noticed he was also nervous, but not as much as her. “Liana, why are you so mean most of the time?”

She backed a bit. “What?”

“Why are you mean. I mean, you try to not get close to us, but I see how you got so along with Bodhi and it makes me wonder, is it that you’re afraid to trust us?” 

For once, she was amazed by him. “Um… maybe. I lost my family early life and godfather only speaks with me in dinner time, so I really don’t see myself getting close to anybody.”

“Well… you have us.” he said, gesturing her back. She turned around and noticed the twins discussing something and the rest of the group, just being them.

“No offense, Cassian, but Kay is glaring at me from over there and that isn’t inviting.”

He chuckled. “Kay is Kay. He’ll warm up to you sometime… Jyn.” 

She turned back to him wide eyed. Before she could question how he guessed, he was called to play his Paganini solo at the stage. 

 

After his solo, it was the twin’s turn to play together, and later it was the chord orchestra. Baze and Chirrut came together holding hands, but the tall asian man acted as if nothing to address his students with quick speech on how he expected them to give their best and how he was proud of how they played in practice. The couple shared a quick kiss and when the stage emptied, closing the curtains. The students took to their seating and got their pieces ready, and all wished each other a quick good luck, Jyn doing so awkwardly, not able to contain her silent shakes and as the curtains opened, light flooded them all, making a dark background to their professor, whom had his baton raised. He counted four silent seconds and lowered it, signaling the start of Brandenburg, their hardest piece. The violoncellos began their part alongside the violins and violas, in an allegro tempo. The first violins expressed themselves with their solos, passing to the second violins’ solos, in the quick five pages as they passed them fast. Then it was the Concerto, which it’s alternate name was “La Stravaganza”. It was a piece in which the first violins had their most spotlight, with only three pages. 

 

The Concerto ended, and the crowd was already applauding, but they weren’t done. It was now the piece of the night, Palladio. Professor Malbus glanced at the violoncellist and with a quick nod, Kes Dameron, another latino in the orchestra, began his solo. The Baze the conductor looked at the rest and they all started, joining the deep sounding instrument. Even if the piece was three paged as the one before, it was a powerful song, from various changes in the song. The finale was Jyn’s favorite part, since it was the most different and quickest. Sounding as if they were running, the finale came to a sudden halt in which everybody had to at least share in those double notes, creating a perfect harmony. Smiling, Jyn looked up to see her classmates with pride, and that’s when she finally understood, that they all did what they loved, and that it caused great pleasure to do what one loves. 

 

Just like she was loving the pleasure of doing what she loves. And so was everybody, and being surrounded by people that enjoyed what they did, and took pride in it, was more infectious than any transmitted virus in life. Everybody supported each other, since everybody wanted to reach the same end which was to make people smile with music in this case. 

 

Everybody stood up to receive the praise of the audience, as professor Malbus called to professor Chirrut to come over to the podium and receive also the the clapping of the crowd in the amphitheatre. The blind black haired professor smiled and took the microphone, after extending his arms and presenting the students with as much pride as if he were the one that was conducting, and not his husband.

 

“Hello Everyone! I’m Chirrut Îmwe, viola professor at Yavin IV University.” cheers erupted. “I have an announcement to make.” the cheers slowly muted. “This chords orchestra which my husband Baze Malbus has conducted,” another round of cheers came and they waited for it to go down once again. “Nice to know he’s loved,” he chuckled making the small input joke. “Anyways, this chord orchestra will be part of a symphonic orchestra from now on, which I will be directing. When they come in August, we’ll have full surprises for you all. Yes.” he smiled, as the crowd erupted to celebrate the news.  

Baze took the microphone now. “Alright, so this is all for tonight. Hope to see you all and more in december. Goodnight.” the professor ended, cutting it fast and leaving the stage with Chirrut in hand, as the curtains closed. 

 

The students congratulated each other, and Jyn, influenced by the happiness everybody was having, she hugged Bodhi who was standing besides her still in shock and with a shy smile, congratulating her back. He paused and called to her before she left. 

 

“Liana, I mean, Jyn, why did you lie about your name?” 

She stiffened. “Well, I just didn’t want Cassian and Kay snooping about my name. How did you know my real name?” she asked. 

He took out a paper. “The program has a Jyn Erso but not a Liana Hallik. But I knew since before, this just confirmed my suspicion.” he paused, debating if to continue, “I knew your father. Nice man. I got to play with him a few times." Jyn inspected him and noticed he was only probably a few years his senior, much like the twins and some of the ones in the orchestra. "Very proud of you. I hope I can be friends with you as I was with your dad.” he offered a small smile. 

“You… you knew my dad?”

He nodded. “You have his eyes. That’s how I knew.” he finished and left. Before she could get back at him, a hand stopped in her shoulder. Before she could turn around, she was held up and was spinning in the arms of someone. 

“You did it Jyn! Officially part of the orchestra now!” Cassian chuckled.

“Cassian! Lower me now!” the danish woman scolded.

“Cassian, I’m afraid I have to agree with her now. This is ridiculous.” Kay muttered, raising softly his glasses.

“See? I knew you guys would get along sometime.” he laughed now.

“This is not getting along. This is agreeing to something moronic.” the british man scoffed. 

  
Jyn was settled down a bit dizzy, but still smiling. She hugged the latino man that was a foot taller than her and placed her violin in it’s case, leaving the stage, having found a new light in her life. 

**Author's Note:**

> this story has been in a notebook since I was in high school with original characters. I edited so it's only loosely based to my time in a music school and not in college (college right now is effed up so I got time to write the next two installations of this story).  
> I have it finished already, I just have to put it into the computer and edit slight stuff and you'll have it. Let me know whichever question you all have.  
> Suzuki beginner is not really an insult. Just invented it. What he tried to call her is she sucks at violin.
> 
> Also, sorry if it feels rushed, I just want to reach the good part. Next installation might have more than one chapter.


End file.
